This is the first update on the RAD program, which was taken over by the OpCo after the vote for RAD was successful back in December. The update will include the progress made so far on operations and the compliance check of delegates. Since it is the first update, we’ll also provide some additional details for your convenience.
RAD Kick Off
We consider January 1st, 2026 to be the official start date of the program, which means the program will end on December 31st, 2026. All eligible delegates that applied on the forum thread had to undergo KYC/KYB and sign a grant agreement with the OpCo as this is the entity administering the program (and not the Arbitrum Foundation as was the case with DIP).
This is a process that delegates only have to complete once for this program. Below you can see where we’re at in that process.
Quarterly Budget
As the budget for each proposal types should be reviewed and updated, if needed, on a quarterly basis, that means the first review should be done by March 31st, 2026.
Reporting Cadence
The original proposal outlines that the program should create a transparency report every 6 months. That means the first transparency report should be published by July 1st, 2026.
Delegates can expect a monthly calculation of rewards if any votes have taken place during the month, or if the OpCo has decided to make any adjustments to the program. These updates will be made on an ad-hoc basis.
Lastly, as noted above, the OpCo will publish a quarterly update with the budget review and any potential changes.
Operational Update
Since taking on RAD, OpCo has done the following on the operations front:
- Published an application thread on the forum for delegates to apply.
- Negotiated with and hired SEED as a program manager for RAD.
- Published the scope of work and the compensation agreed with SEED on the forum.
- Created a KYC and KYB flow with an external provider (Sumsub for KYC and Provenance for KYB) to get delegates through compliance.
- Worked with external counsel to create a template grant agreement to send to delegates upon successful compliance checks.
- Set up a multisig wallet and signed legal agreements with all signers.
- Completed a legal agreement between OpCo and the Arbitrum Foundation so the latter can transfer the funds over to OpCo’s multisig.
- Communicated with eligible delegates to get them to apply, and then get them through the KYC/KYB and grant agreement signing process. The numbers as of January 29, 2026 are as follows:
- Delegates over 200,000 voting power: 80
- Delegates who applied: 38
- Delegates who have finished compliance: 24
- Delegates in process to complete compliance: 7
- Delegates who have not started the process: 4
Important Note
Of the 80 delegates above 200,000 voting power, there’s a big number of which that are inactive (and unresponsive), some which we cannot get in touch with as there’s no info available, and some that do not qualify. If you are in touch with an eligible delegate that hasn’t applied on the forum, please put them in touch with the OpCo.
For delegates that are still going through compliance or that haven’t started the process, we’ve sent multiple follow-up messages and reminders.
Retroactive Rewards
The retroactive rewards for November and December have been calculated and SEED have published them in the forum. See links below:
We expect to send out the rewards to the wallet addresses that delegates have shared with us by the end of January.
January Rewards
As there haven’t been any votes in January, there are no rewards to be distributed.
RAD has also been added to the ‘Active Initiatives’ dashboard that the OpCo maintains and which you can use to find useful information and keep up with the progress. For any questions, please contact Sinkas on Telegram.